Friday, November 20, 2009

On November 19, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Harry K. Thomas, Jr., to be the next US Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines. The WH released the following official bio below:

Harry K. Thomas, Jr. is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and served most recently as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources. He previously served as a Special Assistant to the Secretary and Executive Secretary of the Department.

Thomas, who joined the Foreign Service in 1984, served as U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh from 2003 to 2005. He also served in the White House as the Director for South Asia at the National Security Council from 2001 to 2002. His other postings include: New Delhi, India; Harare, Zimbabwe; Kaduna, Nigeria; and Lima, Peru. He has served as Senior Watch Officer, Deputy Director, and Director of the State Department Operations Center; Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs; and Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs.

Ambassador Thomas’ predecessors to the US Mission in the Philippines also include diplomatic luminaries like John D. Negroponte, Stephen Warren Bosworth (currently Special Representative for North Korea policy), David D. Newsom, Henry A. Byroade, Francis Joseph Ricciardone, Jr. (currently deputy ambassador to the US Embassy in Kabul) and many more.